Full Tank of Fuel

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Seriously? The trip is the destination. Where you're going, how far it is, and when you get there are always variables in my travels on a bike. Probably one of the reasons the Spyder would never
be my choice for touring. If I can't get at least 160 miles before looking for a gas station, I'm going to be riding something else. My VFR will do about 200 miles on the app. 5 gallons of fuel.

The Spyder is fun, but it's not, in my mind, a real touring machine for out west. But Peggy likes it, and that's all that's important.

.... However if BRP made the Gas Tank twice as large 50% or more of the members here would complain about that ...... my mantra is " deal with what you have " or fix the issue ..... Mike

[Gwolf]

.... However if BRP made the Gas Tank twice as large 50% or more of the members here would complain about that ...... my mantra is " deal with what you have " or fix the issue ..... Mike

The Spyder has almost twice the fuel capacity of my previous bike which I rode for about 20 years. You will never hear me complain about the larger fuel tank. I was fueling about every 120 miles with the oversize tank on the old Sportster. I get 200 miles easy without the low fuel light ever coming on with the Spyder.

[missouriboy]

I use my trip meter and fill up every 200 miles, +/-10, and the most I ever put in was around 5.7 gallons, but usually somewhere between 5.0 & 5.5 gal.

I insert the nozzle as shallow as possible, flow as slow as possible (never on automatic) and quit at the first tiny sign of splashback. 38.5mpg avg. for last ~5000 miles.

[teninospyder]

If you are really concerned about running out because of long stretches between gas stations, carry extra fuel. My old Sportster had an over-size fuel tank on it, but still, only held 4.2 gallons and the .2 was not really usable. I could drain it almost dry with the reserve switch on. I was traveling through a lot of National Forests and parks where it was long stretches between gas stations. I carried 4 of the large MSR aluminum fuel bottles full of gas with me. Went some long stretches, but never ran completely out of gas the whole 20 years I rode it. If I was riding the Spyder up in the Adirondack Forest or out west, I would also carry the fuel bottles on it, even though it will go over 100 miles farther then the old Sporty with a full tank. How much fuel you carry does not depend on the tank size. It depends on how much trouble you want to go to in order to have extra fuel.

This discussion contains all the reasons a while back I decided to carry a full 1 gallon gas can with me at all times. Most of our "fun" travels out here ARE on back roads (paved of course) and being "sometimes" forgettful, it's comforting to know I have that reserve if I need it. 'course that doesn't help if we are still more than 35 or so miles from a station, which CAN happen
However, So far so good

[Gwolf]

[Little Blue]

Well, Maybe, an interesting trailer.
Just curious how you use it. Gasoline, Diesel, Milk, Camping, or maybe a grill. .......

I saw one at a camp store and they were doing hamburgers on it. .......

[Gwolf]

Well, Maybe, an interesting trailer.
Just curious how you use it. Gasoline, Diesel, Milk, Camping, or maybe a grill. .......

I saw one at a camp store and they were doing hamburgers on it. .......

Talked to people that own those type trailers.They are basically just fancy cargo trailers with large side doors to store your gear in. You could fit a couple jerry cans inside.

[Bangorbob]

Gotta love it!!! Thanks for the photo.

[RideOn]

I have to say the little tank trailer is damn cool. Not so sure about its usefulness, at least as a tanker.

As a former tanker yanker, count me impressed by the detail and work that must have gone into building it.

[RayBJ]

When I tour the vast open spaces of the mid-west I use this 1.75 gal Rotopax on the qlink base. My last trip to Canada had some gas stations ~100 miles apart and sometimes only 87 octane so I also carry octane booster.
PXL_20210330_015951101.jpg

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have to say the little tank trailer is damn cool. Not so sure about its usefulness, at least as a tanker.

As a former tanker yanker, count me impressed by the detail and work that must have gone into building it.

From that pic, it's not a hauler for any type of LIQUID .... the rectangular top is hinged ...... JMHO .... Mike

[vito1943]

I've wondered about this as well, but don't fret about it. I'm pretty new to Spyders, having just bought my first one this past June and have about 4,000 miles on the odometer. I use an estimate of 33 mpg as a worst case estimate and never go over 200 miles before stopping for refueling. I find the Spyder very comfortable to ride, but rarely want to ride non-stop of over 3 hours before wanting at least a few minutes of break time, bathroom stop, etc. And unless I am on a high speed interstate highway non-stop, 3 hours of riding will not be over 200 miles. So far, about 5.5 gallons is the most that I have put into the tank at one time. If I were planning a trip out West, where long stretches without a place to fill up are common, I might look into those aluminum fuel bottles that were mentioned earlier in this thread. Even just half a gallon might be enough for peace of mind in a remote location.

[ARtraveler]

I've wondered about this as well, but don't fret about it. I'm pretty new to Spyders, having just bought my first one this past June and have about 4,000 miles on the odometer. I use an estimate of 33 mpg as a worst case estimate and never go over 200 miles before stopping for refueling. I find the Spyder very comfortable to ride, but rarely want to ride non-stop of over 3 hours before wanting at least a few minutes of break time, bathroom stop, etc. And unless I am on a high speed interstate highway non-stop, 3 hours of riding will not be over 200 miles. So far, about 5.5 gallons is the most that I have put into the tank at one time. If I were planning a trip out West, where long stretches without a place to fill up are common, I might look into those aluminum fuel bottles that were mentioned earlier in this thread. Even just half a gallon might be enough for peace of mind in a remote location.

Your thoughts on the matter are very good...IMO. I have always been a "how many miles are on this tank" person. Odo gets set to zero at every fill. At 200 miles my tank is showing about 3/4. It will go 250 before the "refill" light comes on. Most of the time, we fill around 200. We get a couple days rides (100 miles) out of a tank and then we refill for the next go around. On long trips, I have to get off the bike at a couple hours anyway. So, somewhere between 100 and 150 miles is where we stop for fuel. The most I have ever seen between gas stations is about 110 miles. That was on the Alaska Highway at Destruction bay. Twenty years of riding in AK, and never worried about running out of gas. PS...I did not do the dirt roads as some have.

The new technology, such as miles to empty is good, if used as an "advice" item rather than as a "rely on" item. The information is based on how much you put in the tank. Most people UNDERFILL the tank and do not get the full benefit of miles per tank, if they need it.

[mecsw500]

Out here in the mountain west, when out of the towns or cities, my strategy is that if I am getting to half full on most bikes even with a big tank - fill her up if you can.

Some rural routes out here you better plan fill ups carefully and call ahead to make sure the gas stations you plan on using are open and still in business on cross country secondary roads.

Heading west out of Green River on I-70 for instance has at least one stretch with over 100 miles between gas stations and that is a major interstate highway.

It's a bit like flying an aircraft out here, make sure you have an alternative gas station within range in some places. When plotting range I plan mileages based on the worst mileage I get with a strong headwind. It is pretty rugged country out here and the weather can be wild at times.

If you run out of gas, out here, it can be a long, long time before you see the Highway Patrol or the County Sheriff or anybody else for that matter.

In the spring and the fall it is often a good idea to plan possible stopping places if the weather turns really nasty at some of the higher elevations. I-80, I-15 and I-70 can experience sudden bad weather at elevations so plan ahead. It's better to sit in a truck stop for a few hours than by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere as the snow starts falling.